LAPFF Conference: Engagement with Ryanair & Sports Direct

“LAPFF’s deputy chair John Gray presents the successful outcome of engagement with Ryanair which is showing signs of progress on labour rights and board independence plus the challenges of engaging with SportsDirect”.

Hat tip Local Authority Pension Fund Forum Conference. 

Newham Fabians on local Housing

This evening I came back from attending the Ryanair AGM in Dublin (will post further on this) to attend the meeting of Newham Fabians and speak on my role as the Cabinet lead on housing.

More people arrived after the start and it was good to have a debate with members who have detailed knowledge and experiences of housing issues in Newham.

I presented on what we are currently doing as an administration and what we hope to achieve in the future. I must write this up properly but in short we are doing lots of good things in Newham on housing but we need to do a lot more.

While building a 1000 Council owned homes at truly affordable rents will be transformational for those residents we house we need a Labour Government in power to provide the money and ability to house the 27,000 families on our waiting list (and the many thousands who are in desperate housing need but not on the list)

Afterwards there was a typical Fabian "polite but challenging" Q&A which I really enjoyed.

Many thanks to Newham Fabian Officers Anita, Rohit and David, for the invite and the opportunity to speak and explain.

Ryanair Robbing Pensioners (and pension peril of zero hour contracts)

According to the FT controversial airline Ryanair is closing its Pension fund for staff in Ireland and transferring their accrued defined benefit pension scheme benefits to a defined contribution scheme - in which future benefits will depend on investment performance???

Not only are they doing this to active (current) members but also to former staff who have left their pension with the scheme.

Does this mean that staff who were promised a guaranteed pension will now have to face the uncertainties of the investment market? Why did the trustees agree to this?

Yet I understand that many of the new Ryanair staff can't even join the DC scheme as they are 'self employed' on zero hour type contracts!

So it seems that all staff in Ryanair former, past and future will be stuffed.

Except I believe its senior management.

No surprise there!

Hat tip Pension Biggles

Ryanair pilots are “Clowns” say….Ryanair

Interesting quote from The Sunday Times today. There is an article alleging that notoriously anti-trade union budget airline Ryanair is putting air safety at risk by restricting the amount of fuel that planes carry.

A spokesperson for the airline is quoted as denying that there are any safety concerns. However, the spokesperson then goes on to describe its own airline pilots who brought up these concerns (anonymously for obvious reasons) as “clowns”!

Check out the International Transport Workers website (and the “Dispatches” video) before you decide to fly with the “irresponsible face of capitalism” in the future. Also Ryanair Campaign site (one very unhappy former customer)

Picture of Ryanair CEO, Michael O'Leary showing us what he thinks of his staff and customers generally.